Exploring Tahiti: The east coast

A chance to be a tourist on the big island

I mentioned that we’ve come to Tahiti to await the birth of our second child. Well, two weeks later and no baby… apparently this one isn’t in a hurry to come and meet us! Last time we were here, waiting for Auguste to arrive, we only had the scooter for transport. I hired a car so we could do some exploration up and down the coast, however on the day we were supposed to pick the car up I went into labour, so we had to cancel. Most of our time was spent in Mahina, visiting places within walking distance.

This time, we have a car so we’ve been filling our days with exploring and running errands, as well as visits to the beach and relaxing at the Air B’n’B. Here are some of the places we’ve visited:

James Normal Hall Museum

We’re in walking distance to this charming house that plays host to the museum of American writer James Normal Hall, writer of the famous Mutiny on the Bounty series along with a number of other novels set in the south seas. The museum gives a glimpse of his life lived in Tahiti between the two world wars with old photographs on the walls, his typewriter, books and other possessions.

We spent most of our visit chatting with the staff there and buying books that we didn’t already have! The staff were full of fascinating facts about the Bounty mutineers, the life of James Norman Hall and some of his contemporaries.

Plage d’Orofara

Most of the beaches on Tahiti are volcanic black sand beaches, and a fair few are known surfing spots. We had some great waves in Mahina when we stayed there for Auguste’s birth, and as we progressed up the coast away from Papeete we found a few more popular spots. We stopped at the carpark next to Plage d’Orofara to watch the surfers catch some waves but haven’t taken to the waves ourselves (a bit hard for me with my giant belly!).

Cascades de Faarumai

Les Trois Cascades (the three waterfalls) have been closed for a good long while for repairs on the paths and bridges. Much to my delight, when we went past recently they were all open again!

The first is a short stroll from the carpark over a charming little bridge flanked by bright red flowers. On the day we were there, the wind was up and the spray from the first waterfall was powerful. It tumbles over 80 metres down into a basin below.

The other two waterfalls are a 20-ish minute walk through mape trees, along the river and across a suspension bridge, but only viewable from a platform. I think if we didn’t have Auguste plus I wasn’t 40 weeks pregnant, we could have tried to access the base via the river. They’re both an impressive height, falling side-by-side with white tropicbirds flying overhead.

Tahiti Iti

Our aim one day was to drive as far as and explore a bit of Tahiti Iti, the smaller of the two islands of Tahiti which are connected by a small spit of land. While Tahiti Nui (the big island) has a road that goes all the way around, Tahiti Iti has two roads that become un-passable after some time. I’d explored a bit on the west coast with my family, up to the famous surfing spot Teahupo'o where we stopped for lunch before turning back, but had never taken the road on the east coast.

We stopped for a bit to eat at a cute little snack with a very good ma’a tinito (a local dish of pork, bok choy, vermicelli, pasta, and beans) before continuing into Tahiti Iti, but were starting to get a bit tired. We didn’t end up making it to the end of the road, instead having a pause and turning back around towards home.

Vaihi Waterfalls

On the way back, we saw a magnificent double waterfall from the road. We stopped in the carpark and took the very short walk to discover a gorgeous little place to have a dip: two wide waterfalls with a stone-lined basin at the bottom. The water was cool and fresh after ages in the car. I think this is the start/end/middle part of a hike, as we saw a family emerge from a trail. Maybe one day we’ll have the opportunity to do that hike with our kids too!

Arue yacht club

We’ve discovered a few nice places to eat but my favourite so far has been the yacht club. There’s something very relaxing about eating with a view of sailboats, watching the little hobby cats come in and out. I’m at the point in my pregnancy where eating is one of my chief enjoyments, and it’s been very helpful to treat ourselves to some lunches out.

July art download - Botanical postcards

I painted these flowers and uru (breadfruit) tree from our garden a little while ago, and thought they’d make cute postcards.

They’re each a PDF with a front and back which you can print at home or take to a photo printing place for a more professional finish.

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